Fishermen rescued but one still missing

TWO fishermen were miraculously plucked from the sea hours after their fishing boat sank off the Saltee Islands yesterday afternoon. A third man is still missing.

The search last night for the three Co Wexford men and their vessel, the Rising Sun, succeeded in locating two of the men clinging to each other in freezing cold sea conditions and near zero visibility.

The men were located at around 9.30pm near the Saltees. They were taken by lifeboat to Kilmore Quay where an ambulance transported them to Wexford Regional Hospital.

The fishermen were said to have been suffering from exposure and hypothermia.

The small 26ft lobster boat set out from Kilmore Quay Fishing Port yesterday morning for a day’s fishing off the Saltee Islands.

Sea conditions were calm despite the high winds of the past week.

Last contact had been made with the boat around 3.30pm.

But when the men could not be contacted later on the boat’s radio or on their mobile telephones, a major search was launched.

By then a thick fog had worsened in the search area and visibility was reduced to almost zero.

Kilmore Quay lifeboat put to sea just after 6.30pm and was joined by fishing vessels, the Coastguard Helicopter from Waterford and the Rosslare Harbour lifeboat.

The search was led by the Naval vessel, the LE Orla. Lifeboat crews from Rosslare were joined by Fethard-on-Sea and Kilmore Quay crews.

A Kilmore Quay Lifeboat spokesperson said: “The vessel was collecting lobster pots off Kilmore and we haven’t had any contact from the boat since then.

Attempts to contact the Rising Sun have so far been unsuccessful and conditions are very misty in the search area.”

At least six fishing boats from Duncannon and Kilmore Quay also joined in the search for the missing boat.

The Coastguard Service said it did not receive any May Day or distress call but the alarm was raised after the boat failed to return at around 4.30pm.

The emergency crews searched throughout the night on the coastline from Kilmore Quay to Carne towards Rosslare Harbour.

Late last night, there was still no news of the missing man, and neither had members of the search teams reported sighting of debris.

The search was likely to continue throughout the night amid hopes that the missing fisherman might have made it safely to a life raft which was carried on board the Rising Sun.